Hunting small and large game by means of a bow and arrow is a sports activity that calls for considerable skill and precision in bow handling. Since effective killing ranges are less than those experienced using firearms, the successful bow hunter must also be adept at stalking wildlife. Often, this represents a substantial portion of the time that a hunter is able to devote to the sport. It becomes imperative, therefore, for a hunter to seize each opportunity to shoot at available game in order to be assured of success in the field.
Arrows are relatively expensive items which are not necessarily seen by the average hunter as being expendable. Accordingly, it is expected that even though an arrow may have missed its mark, it may be subsequently retrieved for further use. This may not always be the case, however, especially where underbrush is thick. Under these circumstances, the hunter faces the dilemma of waiting for a surer shot, which may not occur, or to shoot at game whenever an opportunity permits regardless of the loss in arrows that this entails.
A serious problem that confronts the hunting archer is the loss of game that, even though mortally wounded, may still manage to make good its escape. This is probably a relatively common experience since the lethal aspects of an arrow are derived from its ability to inflict hemorrhaging in a game animal which is capable of traversing considerable distances before succumbing to blood loss. Not only is the arrow lost under these circumstances, but a greater loss is incurred by game that is killed without providing any benefit to the hunter.
The aforenoted problems of the prior art have been recognized and an attempt has been made to overcome such problems through the provision of a hunting arrow having radio transmitter locating means associated therewith as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,948 Ratkovich which issued Feb. 5, 1974. Whereas the Ratkovich hunting arrow overcomes the basic problem of locating an arrow lost in thick underbrush and in tracking wounded game, there are certain problems that remain unsolved. For example, the Ratkovich arrow does not provide means for testing the battery of its transmitter. Thus, an arrow may be lost due to insufficient signal strength from the transmitter occasioned by a weak battery. This problem is further aggravated by the fact that Ratkovich does not provide a reliable power switch to disable the transmitter circuit. Unless fresh batteries are used, the operation of the Ratkovich transmitter becomes uncertain.
Another expected difficulty with the Ratkovich arrow relates to the special arrowhead that is required to house the transmitter. Since this arrowhead is not a standard in the industry, it is expected that replacements would be expensive. Should a Ratkovich arrowhead be damaged, it cannot be replaced with an industry standard thereby limiting the Ratkovich arrow when afield. Moreover, the Ratkovich arrow is applicable for hunting only and also requires a special arrow shaft for mounting the arrowhead.